


this band *might* save your life

by spookydallons



Category: Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Panic! at the Disco
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Bands, Coming of Age, Eventual Romance, High School, I try to be funny, M/M, No Smut, Teen Romance, Teenage Drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2018-08-15
Packaged: 2019-06-27 22:39:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15694785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spookydallons/pseuds/spookydallons
Summary: Senior year. Gerard Way's supposed to have it all figured out. But between the breakup of his not-so-famous rock band, his growing concerns that his brother Mikey might be a gigolo, and conflicting feelings he might be harbouring for his best friend Frank, Gerard's not so sure.





	this band *might* save your life

**Author's Note:**

> apologies in advance for inaccuracies, i've never been to an actual american high school before so i'm not very sure how the system works
> 
> just thought a high school au might be fun
> 
> whee

It had been the biggest topic of gossip in school since the time Brendon Urie lost all his bandmates.

My Chemical Romance was huge. At least for their washed up high school in the town of Belleville, New Jersey, it was big enough. Formed in the fall of Gerard’s freshman year, the garage band had been enough to launch four “emo cunts” into considerable high school spotlight. Sure, there were people who liked their music and others who still considered them “emo cunts”, but there was no denying the fact that for once in Gerard’s life, people were paying attention to him. People knew who he was.

My Chemical Romance had been the biggest student band to grace the halls of Belleville High. And barely three years after its formation, it disappeared.

They stopped holding low budget ‘concerts’ in the Way family’s garage, stopped uploading new material on Myspace. They didn’t even show up for the school’s annual music festival in Gerard’s junior year. 

It didn’t take long for rumours ‘explaining’ their abrupt disappearance to surface. Gerard had heard them all. Someone in the band allegedly getting a girl pregnant, to Gerard becoming a diva and being unbearable to work with, and even a claim that they’d accidentally summoned Satan with their “demonic screamo music”, Gerard was forced to endure the speculation for the remainder of his junior year. 

Gerard’s term break passed without much incident.

His first day back actually didn’t start off so bad. Half a year later, people were finally beginning to forget about My Chem, and Gerard was back to being (mostly) ignored like the loner he was. Gerard didn’t really blame his schoolmates. He didn’t consider himself a very interesting person outside of his now defunct rock band.

As the bell for first period began to ring, Gerard made his way to class, heading straight for a desk furthest from the whiteboard. The tables were separated, which Gerard was grateful for.

On his left was some kid with a big forehead that Gerard didn’t recognise. The table to his right was empty. Big forehead kid hadn’t taken notice of Gerard. His eyes were darting around the classroom, scanning incessantly, as if looking for someone.

But whatever. Gerard wasn’t in the mood to make new friends anyway.

Their teacher showed up ten minutes late to call attendance and wasn’t someone Gerard recognised either. She looked bored, and probably didn’t like her job very much.

“Jared Way?”

Gerard sighed. He didn’t bother to correct her. “Present.”

He glanced around the room as each name was called. Some he recognised, some he didn’t, but no one he would exactly call a friend.

Pete Wentz. Dallon Weekes. Joe Trohman.

“Brendon Urine.”

“Urie."

Oh. So that was Brendon Urie.

Brendon Urie was probably the unluckiest bastard Belleville High had ever seen. Freshman year, he’d been periodically picked on by seniors from the football team for some reason and had actual bags of piss thrown at him when he retaliated. Sophomore year, he went through an extremely public breakup with his then boyfriend Ryan Ross, and a graphic fanfiction involving milk, him and Ryan was circulated around school. Come junior year, and all the (remaining) members of his band Panic! at the Disco had called it quits. All that, and there was the fact that his surname was one letter away from the word ‘urine’.

Gerard had to give the kid some credit. In spite of everything that had happened, Brendon still managed to bounce back every year like a ping-pong ball on steroids.

Attendance taking had long since finished, and it took Gerard a while to realise that he hadn’t really been paying attention to the past fifteen minutes of class, but it didn’t seem like anyone else (other than Patrick Stump) was. Pete Wentz was busy reapplying what must’ve been his third coat of eyeliner that day, and Dallon Weekes was sticking chewing gum underneath his desk.

There was a knock on the classroom door.

Their teacher eyed the teenager with mild disinterest. “Nice of you to finally join us, Mr Ross. Take your seat.”

Gerard saw Brendon stare straight at Ryan, and then immediately avert his gaze once Ryan shuffled into the classroom. The only seat left was the one on Gerard’s right. 

It was even harder now to focus on whatever the teacher had been droning on about. Gerard could feel Brendon occasionally glance in Ryan’s direction, while the other boy did little to compensate. Andy Hurley, who sat in front of Gerard, had been mindlessly drumming on his desk with two pencils. Gerard felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He knew he should probably be paying attention- senior year and all that- but heck, he didn't even remember what class he was in at that point.

_frank: ditch ur class. we need to talk. ___


End file.
